Michigan solidified itself as the third best team in college basketball behind Gonzaga and Baylor following Sunday’s win at Ohio State.
The five-point triumph in Columbus displayed the Wolverines’ overall balance and also reiterated the dominance of freshman big man Hunter Dickinson, who finished with 22 points and nine rebounds.
It also displayed the importance of two players who weren’t in Michigan’s program last season — Mike Smith and Chaundee Brown.
“The difference in their team is the older transfers that they got,” Holtmann said Monday on this week’s edition of the College Hoops Today Podcast. “Those transfers make a big difference.”
Smith — a grad transfer from Columbia — ran Michigan’s offense with the focus of a surgeon on Sunday, finishing with 11 points, seven assists, and just one turnover in 29 minutes. The 6-5 Brown — who transferred from Wake Forest — added 15 points off the bench and brought a completely different dimension in reserve thanks to his physicality and defense.
Ohio State was ranked fourth in this week’s edition of the ROTHSTEIN 45.
To listen to the full interview with Holtmann, click HERE.
